Telford and Wrekin

Telford and Wrekin's population grew in the decade leading up to the most recent census. Data from the census also show there were changes in religion, housing tenure and health.

The population reached nearly 170,000

Between the last two censuses, the population of Telford and Wrekin increased by 5.3%, from just over 158,000 to 167,000.

The addition of just over 8,300 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Telford and Wrekin was home to, on average, 4.1 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across the West Midlands

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the West Midlands, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Telford and Wrekin

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Telford and Wrekin increased by two years, from 36 to 38 years.

This urban area had a slightly lower average age than the West Midlands and remained slightly younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of just over 4,600 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by about 4,000.

About 11% of people in Telford and Wrekin are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, West Midlands and Telford and Wrekin by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Telford and Wrekin

Telford and Wrekin saw the West Midlands' third-largest rise in the proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability.

In 2011, just under 1 in 20 (4.6%) in Telford and Wrekin reported being limited a lot in their day-to-day activities, compared with 3.6% in 2001. The percentage who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 6.3% to 6.2%.

Across the region, only Cannock Chase (from 3.9% to 5.0%) and Wyre Forest (from 3.1% to 4.1%) saw a greater increase in the proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability.

Every local authority area across the West Midlands saw a rise in the proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability, as the regional average grew from 3.5% to 4.2%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability was higher than across the West Midlands

Percentage of usual residents that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in the West Midlands and the average across England, March 2011

Telford and Wrekin stood out from other areas for one-person households

In Telford and Wrekin, the proportion came down from 26% in 2001 to 25% in 2011. During the same period, the regional proportion increased from 29% to 30%.

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple in Telford and Wrekin increased from 9.6% to 12%, while the percentage of households with a married couple decreased from 41% to 36%.

The percentage of households with only one person was lower than across the West Midlands

Percentage of households that comprised only one person across local authority areas in the West Midlands and the average across England, March 2011

Change in unpaid care

The percentage of Telford and Wrekin residents that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 1.2% to 1.6% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

In 2011, just under 1 in 30 (3.0%) reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week, compared with 2.4% in 2001.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the West Midlands (from 1.2% in 2001 to 1.5% in 2011). Across England, the proportion increased from 1.1% to 1.4%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care in Telford and Wrekin remained close to 1.6%

Percentage of usual residents in England, West Midlands and Telford and Wrekin by care, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Telford and Wrekin

The number of people in Telford and Wrekin that described themselves as having no religion increased from just under 24,000 in 2001 to just under 46,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 15% to 27% of the local population.

The percentage increased by more than the average across the West Midlands (from 12% to 22%) and the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Telford and Wrekin that described themselves as Christian decreased from just under 120,000 in 2001 to just over 100,000 in 2011 (from 74% to 62%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation decreased from just under 12,000 to about 11,000 (from 7.3% to 6.6%).

About 3,000 people (1.3%) said they were Muslim, up from about 2,000 in 2001 (1.8%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population without a religion in Telford and Wrekin increased by 12 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, West Midlands and Telford and Wrekin by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

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